Fresh Strawberry Spinach Salad (Printer-Friendly)

A refreshing blend of strawberries, spinach, nuts, and creamy poppyseed dressing perfect for warm days.

# What You Need:

→ Salad

01 - 6 cups fresh baby spinach, washed and dried
02 - 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
03 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
04 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
05 - 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds or pecans
06 - 1/4 cup dried cranberries

→ Poppyseed Dressing

07 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
09 - 1 tablespoon honey
10 - 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
11 - 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
12 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
13 - Pinch of salt
14 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large salad bowl, combine the spinach, sliced strawberries, red onion, feta cheese, toasted nuts, and dried cranberries.
02 - In a small bowl or jar, whisk together olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper until smooth and emulsified.
03 - Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving. Toss gently to combine and coat all ingredients. Serve immediately, garnished with extra nuts or feta if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The poppyseed dressing hits that perfect balance between tangy and slightly sweet, making even skeptical vegetable eaters ask for seconds.
  • Everything comes together in under 15 minutes, which means you can actually eat lunch instead of spending your whole break cooking.
  • It tastes equally good as an elegant side dish for dinner or packed in a container for tomorrow's desk lunch.
02 -
  • The dressing separates after sitting, so whisk it again right before serving if you made it earlier—this is completely normal and not a sign you did something wrong.
  • If you absolutely must dress the salad ahead of time, dress only half of it and keep the rest plain, then combine just before eating.
03 -
  • Keep your spinach, strawberries, and dressing in separate containers if you're meal prepping—assemble only what you'll eat that day so nothing gets soggy or sad.
  • Buy strawberries when they're in season and on sale; you'll save money and they'll actually taste like strawberries instead of water.
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